Vegan Curry with Pearl Barley

We haven’t forgotten about our vegetarian followers – and went one further catering for those who are vegan. Delicious, moreish and filling – this dish will be devoured by all because it is just SO good! Read the recipe through to ensure you can plan the timing as the pearl barley takes a lot longer to cook as you may think ..

Ingredients

• 50g uncooked pearl barley (1/4 cup)
• vegetable stock
• ground turmeric
• 300g cauliflower florets
• 85g mange tout
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 2 TB coconut flakes or desiccated coconut
• coriander, chopped to garnish

Method

1. Cook the pearl barley over moderate heat in the vegetable stock according to the packet instructions. (Pearl barley can take up to 20-25 minutes, so bear this mind when planning the cooking times.) Have enough vegetable stock handy in case you need to ‘top up’ and remember to taste-test as you go. We advise having at least 500ml stock handy.
2. In the meantime, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and the cauliflower florets and a generous pinch of ground turmeric and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the florets are cooked but still firm and holding shape. Add the mango tout in the last minute of cooking. Drain the vegetables and set aside to keep warm.
3. Towards the end of the pearl barley cooking, heat the olive oil in a separate pan and cook the onions until softened, then add the garlic, ginger paste, garam masala and curry powder and stir well to combine, gently cooking out the spices.
4. At this time, the pearly barley should be cooked sufficiently. Drain the barley and add to the onion-curry mixture, stirring well to combine.
5. Serve the fragrant, spiced pearl barley with the warm cauliflower and mange tout. Garnish with coconut flakes (or desiccated coconut) and chopped coriander.